It has often been said that “Kids don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” No matter how hard we try to teach our kids, they must first know that we care about them. The best teaching and learning take place in an environment where relationships are strong.

This past weekend during halftime at the Tates Creek High School vs. Paul Laurence Dunbar High School football game, a true display of caring took place. It all began when one of our Tates Creek students, Lauren Weyl, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer less than two weeks ago.

Lauren had already been growing out her hair all summer to donate to Locks of Love. Unwilling to let her personal battle deter her from helping others, she decided to have her hair cut before beginning chemotherapy treatments that will likely cause her to lose it.

Her single act of caring took on a life of its own when her friends and school officials collaborated to coordinate her donation in a way that would amplify awareness of ovarian cancer. This past Friday, Lauren had her hair cut and her head shaved in the middle of the football stadium during halftime of the Commodores’ matchup with Dunbar.

It was quite a sight and very heartwarming to see students from both schools down on the field having their heads shaved to help with the donation and to also honor Lauren.

One of the most poignant exchanges of the week took place before the game during discussions about whether TCHS would be penalized for taking too much time for this halftime activity. The coaches from Tates Creek said they’d just take the penalty if it came down to that and joked in an e-mail that they didn’t think the Dunbar team would mind. But the response from the Dunbar coach was if you all get a penalty, we will take one, too.

Competition can be a great motivator, and I know we have some fierce rivalries in our district. But when it comes right down to it, there is plenty of common ground. We may be Tates Creek High School and Dunbar High School, but we all have the same last name. We’re the “School” family in FCPS. The connections we make with one another, with our kids and with our community will be game changers. They will make the difference in the lives of students and be the key to helping students succeed academically and in life.